According to Motus, the biomedical device company's employees found that their administrative task time was reduced from about 30 minutes per visit to ;less than 90 seconds.

The battery savings were also a convenience for users. In fact, Powell says, "The big takeaway was an 80 percent preservation of the battery." That savings was especially notable in Apple iPhones. Those who found that their battery was completely consumed before a workday was completed discovered that only 20 percent of the battery life was consumed with the Motus beacon.

Motus is currently developing other solutions that will employ beacon technology, Powell reports. For instance, the company is testing beacon technology to assist drivers with the fueling and maintenance of vehicles. Some companies, he adds, are interested in deploying beacons within the facilities of some of their customers, to provide more granular location data or to connect users or colleagues with each other. For instance, if a user had multiple visits within a large hospital, beacons in specific areas could help the app track which department or offices the individual had entered or left, or to help identify a colleague who is also onsite.

Additionally, Motus is working on a function that might enable the system to use beacon data within a car to determine where within the vehicle the person's phone is located. This information could be of value to employers for safety purposes. For instance, if the system were to detect that an individual was using the phone while in the driver's seat, and in the vehicle was in motion, a safety violation could be identified.

Several customers have placed orders for Motus beacons, Powell says. The biomedical device company that tested the beacons intends to launch the system on a permanent basis durig the third quarter, he adds.